college programs for military minds

The Military offers a wide variety of programs for pursuing a college education. Here's an overview of some of the programs offered.

Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
ROTC programs are offered by the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. When you graduate from college as an ROTC cadet, you will earn the rank of Second Lieutenant and be ready to start your career in a wide range of different branches and fields. Requirements for ROTC college programs include:

Taking a full college course load which includes military science courses that provide the proper training needed to be an officer.

Wearing uniforms once a week during military labs, drills, military science presentations, and other practical training activities.

Participating in ROTC summer programs that round out a student's military training.

ROTC scholarships are available to students and are awarded based on merit. The main considerations include:

High school academic record

SAT or ACT scores

Extracurricular activities

Personal interview

Credit Programs
Credit programs help Military service personnel earn credits at schools, colleges, and universities across the country. These programs are offered through:

Military School Credits. The Military has a network of over 300 schools and 10,000 courses to train members for many different career occupations. Sixty percent of these courses are certified for college credit.

Servicemember Opportunity Colleges (SOC). SOC is a group of 19,000 schools that agree to transfer credits among themselves for members of the Military and their families. Coursework is done in the classroom, online, or via mail.

Credits Earned through Testing. Military enlistees can earn college credit at their local Base Education Center by taking the CLEP examination series, the DSST subject series, or the Regents examination series.

Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Air Force enlistees may earn an Associate's degree in Applied Science in job-related fields. The degree is offered in: Aircraft and Missile Maintenance, Allied Health, Electronics and Telecommunications, Logistics and Resources, and Public and Support Services.

Tuition Support Programs
There are five main Military Tuition Support Programs:

Tuition Assistance. This program pays for up to 100 percent of the cost of tuition or expenses up to a maximum of $250 per semester hour credit and a maximum of $4,500 per fiscal year. It applies to full-time duty but also applies to selected Reserve and National Guard units where benefits may vary from full-time duty benefits.

Montgomery G.I. Bill. This program can offer up to $56,000 in tuition payments for a commitment to full-time duty for three years. Money may be used for college degree programs, certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, or correspondence courses.

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. This is an education benefit for individuals who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Under this progrm, the individual is eligible to receive the cost of tuition and fees not to exceed the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher education, a monthly housing allowance, and a maximum books and supplies allowance of $1,000.

College Fund Programs (G.I. Bill Kicker). The College Fund is an additional amount of money that can increase an individual's basic G.I. Bill monthly benefit by as much as $950 a month. Each service branch determines who receives the College Fund and the amount received. Marine Corps or Coast Guard enlistees may receive additional dollars.

Loan Repayment Programs. Under the College Loan Repayment Program, the military will repay a portion of eligible college loans for non-prior service military members. Each of the services have applied their own maximums and criteria for eligibility. For more information contact the military service in which you are interested.

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